When small and medium sized enterprises（SMEs）do business and invest in emerging markets, they are often exposed to corruption risks.They do not have the market power or internal integrity systems of large companies, but are subject to the same demands from legislation, business partners and civil society on combating and avoiding corruption.Many companies do not have the necessary knowledge and tools to handle this dilemma.

The Business Anti-Corruption Portal（Portal）is intended to help companies avoid bribery and extortion by providing them with necessary information and tools, free of charge.The Portal was originally launched as a public-private partnership between the Danish government and Global Advice Network and underlines the importance of private sector participation in development strategies.

The Portal is constructed as a one-stop shop with information and tools on anti-corruption for SMEs operating in emerging markets and developing countries.It has been online since August 2006 and has been gradually expanded since its initiation.

Function

The purpose of the Business Anti-Corruption Portal（Portal）is to provide a comprehensive and practical business tool, and to offer targeted support to small and medium sized enterprises（SMEs）in order to help them avoid and fight corruption, thereby creating a better business environment.Working actively against corruption will furthermore enable companies to adhere to the UN Global Compact Principle 10 on corruption.

The Business Anti-Corruption Portal offers the following services for free:

·Country Profiles

·Due Diligence tools

·Integrity System tools

·Information about anti-corruption initiatives and networks

Structure

The portal is public-private partnership between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of 7 countries and Global Advice Network.Global Advice Network is a private consultancy firm with global experience of the fight against fraud and corruption.It is offering services within the area of Corporate Integrity（Business Ethics）, anti-fraud and-corruption.Global Advice Network has offices in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

The Portal is financed by the Governments of Austria, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK.

Achievement

Country Profiles

This element contains information on the different types of corruption present in the countries covered by the Portal.General information on each one of the countries is supplemented by specific data on corruption in different sectors and levels（ranging from corruption encountered in individual transactions with public authorities to corruption encountered by companies in relation to contracts and administration）.The information contained here provides an overview of the occurrence and the type（s）of corruption that countries may encounter in particular countries.

The information is both quantitative and qualitative.The quantitative information includes corruption indices from Transparency International and the World Bank, as well as frequencies of corruption in the respective sectors where data is available.The qualitative information includes descriptions of types of transactions in the different sectors and levels where corruption is encountered, as well as a list of sources of further information on corruption in the specific country.

Portal Team

The Portal is a public-private partnership between the governments of Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom together with Global Advice Network, a Nordic private consultancy company specialised in anti-corruption, anti-fraud, sustainability and business development.In June 2007, the Portal won the Changemakers.net/Ashoka Ending Corruption: Honesty Instituted competition on innovative anti-corruption solutions along with two other entries.

Applications

The Portal is used extensively by SMEs from around the globe to resist corruption and manage corruption risks.However, it is also utilised by larger companies among a swath of other users, including public agencies, embassies, trade councils, business organisations, auditors, lawyers, consultants, research organisations, CSOs, universities and journalists.Importantly, many users who are not SMEs in fact constitute the traditional advisors of SMEs or can otherwise influence SMEs through their supply chains and other channels.The Portal is a referred tool by several major international organisations, including the OECD, the UN, the World Bank, the IFC and Transparency International.The Portal is available to the UN Global Compact as a tool for companies to implement the 10th Principle on corruption, and is incorporated into the World Bank Institute’s business collective action against corruption initiative as well as the IFC SME Toolkit.